Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Second-Rank Talisman Master, Si Niu's Foundation Establishment
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The Dragon Pattern Red Pine twitched and swayed wildly, its branches and leaves rustling as a few red leaves fluttered down.
The sword mark, three fingers deep in its main trunk, caused the Dragon Pattern Red Pine to bleed a large amount of crimson sap. As it shook violently, even more sap flowed out, and red leaves fell, as if it were shedding tears of pain.
It was during a break in Maoqiu's cultivation. Its large, watery eyes watched as Chen Jianghe swung the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword.
A shiver ran through its heart.
When it saw the red sap oozing from the Dragon Pattern Red Pine, it couldn't help but gasp.
"Chirp, chirp~" (Serves you right for being disobedient.)
Then, Maoqiu looked away and resumed its diligent cultivation, striving to break through to the second rank as soon as possible so it could work for its master.
It was very obedient.
Chen Jianghe retracted the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword. He had to admit he'd been a bit reckless, assuming the bark of a mid-rank second-grade spirit plant would be incredibly tough.
Who would have thought that under the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword, it was as soft as tofu, offering no resistance at all.
He waited for twenty breaths.
The Dragon Pattern Red Pine stanched the flow of sap. Countless fine roots emerged from the soil and absorbed all the sap that had dripped onto the ground.
Witnessing this, Chen Jianghe felt the Dragon Pattern Red Pine had a promising future.
Frugal, not wasteful.
This was a good habit worth cultivating.
"Don't move again, or I'll really turn you into firewood."
With a thought, Chen Jianghe shrank the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword to the size of a three-inch dagger and carefully carved out a piece of spirit plant bark from the Dragon Pattern Red Pine.
"See? It's fine now, isn't it?"
The spirit plant bark cut from the Dragon Pattern Red Pine shimmered with a faint red luster, brimming with spiritual energy. It was an excellent material for creating low-rank second-grade talismans.
Immediately, Chen Jianghe carved out another piece.
And another...
He cut four pieces of spirit plant bark in a row before leaving, satisfied.
A gust of autumn wind swept by, and the Dragon Pattern Red Pine rustled, shedding a few more leaves.
Then, all its leaves began to frantically absorb spiritual energy to heal the wounds on its trunk.
It worked hard to grow new bark.
In the front hall, the study.
Chen Jianghe took out the Peachwood Heart-Clearing Brush and second-grade spirit ink. He was preparing to attempt drawing a second-grade talisman.
Drawing a second-grade talisman was different from drawing a first-grade one.
First, one had to refine the spirit plant bark with mana to awaken the faint trace of spirituality that had fallen dormant after being separated from the spirit plant.
Then, the spirit plant bark had to be fused with mana, making it receptive to it.
This process took about ten days.
Once the bark's spirituality was awakened, one had to immediately begin drawing the profound runes of the second-grade talisman onto it.
If everything went smoothly, this step would take half a day.
The final step was to infuse the runes with mana, a process known as spirit charging.
This imbued the second-grade talisman with its formidable power.
At Chen Jianghe's current cultivation level, with the amount of mana in his dantian, it would take nearly a month to create one second-grade talisman.
This was only because he cultivated the Myriad Waters True Scripture, which increased his mana by thirty percent. Otherwise, it would take at least a month and a half.
Spirit charging required a long period of nurturing.
It required a continuous infusion of mana into the second-grade talisman. Right now, he only had a single drop of mana in his dantian.
To make a low-rank second-grade talisman reach the power of the third layer of Foundation Establishment, a single charging session was naturally not enough.
However, this was perfect, as it gave Chen Jianghe time to cultivate the Myriad Waters True Scripture.
He could recover his mana while cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture, and then continue charging the second-grade talisman.
It was a seamless transition, and his life once again became fulfilling.
This invigorated Chen Jianghe, and he was very satisfied with this fulfilling and peaceful life of cultivation.
Before he knew it, a month had passed.
Chen Jianghe took a Spirit Accumulating Pill and began to circulate the Myriad Waters True Scripture, refining the pill's spiritual energy.
After five hours, the remaining unrefined spiritual energy was drawn into his Spirit Gate, to be converted into mana and flow into his dantian later as he circulated the Myriad Waters True Scripture.
After his cultivation session ended.
With a thought, the prototype of a second-grade talisman appeared before him.
He looked at the runes flickering with lightning.
He focused his mind, cleared all distracting thoughts, and carefully channeled his mana into it, afraid that a single misstep would cause the second-grade talisman to shatter.
When creating a second-grade talisman, one must be focused and calm while drawing the runes, allowing no mistakes.
Later, during the spirit charging, there could be no major fluctuations in mana, or it would cause the runes on the second-grade talisman to mutate, leading to failure.
The final step was completing the talisman.
After the spirit charging was complete, the final stroke of the rune had to be drawn, using the rune's profound power to transform mana into spiritual energy.
This would transform the spirit plant bark into a second-grade talisman.
Chen Jianghe picked up the Peachwood Heart-Clearing Brush again, concentrating fully as he drew the final stroke of the Falling Star Lightning Talisman.
As a flash of lightning appeared.
It was suddenly withdrawn, and a low-rank second-grade Falling Star Lightning Talisman was successfully created.
Chen Jianghe picked up the second-grade talisman, feeling the terrifying energy it contained. It was even a sliver more powerful than the metal-attribute second-grade attack talisman that Alchemist Zhuang had given him.
Metal-attribute was sharp and had powerful attacks.
But lightning-attribute was ferocious, with higher damage potential.
The value of this second-grade Falling Star Lightning Talisman definitely surpassed that of the metal-attribute attack talisman.
Even the second-grade attack talisman that Chen Ping had helped him buy was far inferior to the Falling Star Lightning Talisman in his hand.
It wasn't even as good as the one from Alchemist Zhuang.
"It seems the price of second-grade talismans isn't fixed. My Falling Star Lightning Talisman is definitely more valuable than an ordinary second-grade attack talisman."
The moment Chen Jianghe created the Falling Star Lightning Talisman, he successfully became a second-rank Talisman Master.
Once he could create mid-rank second-grade talismans, he would be qualified to be called a Grandmaster of the Talisman Dao.
"At thirty, I had no talisman-making inheritance and tried drawing talismans for the first time. Now, fifty-one years have passed, and I've become a second-rank Talisman Master. It took less time than breaking through to Foundation Establishment. It seems I have some talent for the Talisman Dao after all."
Becoming a second-rank Talisman Master in fifty-one years was something Chen Jianghe didn't dare to belittle.
After all, it had taken Zhou Miaoyun over forty years to become a high-grade Talisman Master. In comparison, his talent was quite good.
After successfully creating the Falling Star Lightning Talisman, he had gained some understanding of making second-grade talismans.
Unlike creating first-grade spirit talismans.
There was no success rate for creating second-grade talismans. As long as you were meticulous enough, had a strong enough spiritual sense, could calm your mind, and were willing to spend more time, you could successfully create a second-grade talisman.
In other words.
Proficiency in drawing runes, spiritual sense control over mana, a stable mindset, and patience.
With these, one could successfully create a second-grade talisman.
Proficiency in drawing runes was the easiest part.
They had all been first-rank Talisman Masters, having drawn spirit talismans over three thousand times, so they were naturally skilled at it.
But control over mana with spiritual sense required a sufficiently strong soul essence and spiritual sense.
Chen Jianghe happened to have a soul essence stronger than ordinary people, and his spiritual sense was superior to cultivators of the same rank.
This was his strong suit.
Mindset?
Chen Jianghe felt his mindset was quite good.
As for patience, he enjoyed this leisurely and peaceful life of cultivation, so being impatient was not an issue.
The core of his cultivation plan was steady progress, proceeding step by step, and advancing gradually.
Therefore, as long as one wasn't afraid of wasting time, they could basically succeed in creating a second-grade talisman.
However, the cost of a second-grade talisman was very high.
A second-grade talisman brush would be completely worn out after thirty uses.
The sixteen-hundred-spirit-stone Peachwood Heart-Clearing Brush could only be used thirty times, meaning each use cost over fifty spirit stones.
A box of second-grade spirit ink was worth one hundred spirit stones and could be used ten times, so each use was ten spirit stones.
A piece of spirit plant bark for a low-rank second-grade talisman cost fifty spirit stones at market price.
In other words, the cost to create one low-rank second-grade talisman was over one hundred and ten spirit stones.
Because Chen Jianghe cultivated the Myriad Waters True Scripture, his mana was thirty percent higher than his peers, allowing him to create ten second-grade talismans a year.
To be safe and ensure all of them succeeded, he could create eight second-grade talismans a year.
Sold at market price, a second-grade attack talisman was five hundred spirit stones, meaning a profit of over three hundred and eighty spirit stones.
Conservatively, he could earn three thousand spirit stones a year.
Three thousand spirit stones seemed like a lot, but it was not nearly enough for a Foundation Establishment cultivator's training.
Chen Jianghe's basic annual cultivation expense was ten Spirit Accumulating Pills, which was twelve hundred spirit stones.
This didn't even include the resources for his spiritual art and body tempering technique.
In addition, Xiao Hei and Maoqiu would need to consume second-grade resources for their cultivation in the future. The most basic second-grade spirit beast resource was a second-grade spirit core.
One per year for each, the two spirit beasts together would cost at least twenty-six hundred spirit stones.
But where would one find so many to sell at market price?
Second-grade talismans rarely made it to the market, not even to auctions; they were consumed privately.
Moreover, the Falling Star Lightning Talisman he created was stronger than ordinary attack talismans. If he were to sell it, its value would definitely not be less than one thousand spirit stones.
By this calculation, his annual income could barely sustain his cultivation needs, but if he wanted better resources.
This income was not enough.
Time flew, swift as a fleeting shadow.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
In that year, including the one he had made earlier, Chen Jianghe created a total of nine Falling Star Lightning Talismans.
If he had been more aggressive and taken a bit of a gamble, he might have been able to create eleven Falling Star Lightning Talismans.
But it was also possible he would have only made six.
His cautious nature meant he had no such aggressive thoughts.
"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Mirror Moon Market City actually doesn't sell Spirit Accumulating Pills. It's too small and too remote."
During this year, Chen Jianghe had used up all his Spirit Accumulating Pills. The drop of mana in his dantian had only grown larger, but it hadn't split into two.
It was then that Chen Jianghe understood the drawback of cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture: cultivation progress was too slow.
Although his mana was thirty percent higher than cultivators of the same rank and his spell power was enhanced by twenty percent.
His cultivation level progressed slowly. He absorbed the spiritual energy from Spirit Accumulating Pills quickly and refined mana quickly as well.
But to advance his level, he needed to cultivate thirty percent more mana than his peers.
Therefore, to cultivate a second drop of mana, he would need to refine another three to five Spirit Accumulating Pills, which would take another half a year.
However, when he asked Yu Daniu to buy Spirit Accumulating Pills for him in Mirror Moon Market City, he found that they weren't sold there at all.
On second thought, it made sense. How many Foundation Establishment cultivators were there in Mirror Moon Lake in total?
How could there possibly be Spirit Accumulating Pills for sale?
"Looks like I'll have to ask Xiaoniu to make a trip to the Immortal Gate Market City or the Many Treasures Market City," Chen Jianghe thought.
Those two market cities were relatively safe, so he wouldn't have to worry about Yun Xiaoniu encountering danger if he went.
Immediately, Chen Jianghe released his spiritual sense and glanced into his mailbox. There were four letters, which he drew into his hand.
One was a message from Yu Daniu.
One was a letter from Ruan Tieniu, and the other two were from Gao Peiyao and Zhou Miaoyun.
Chen Jianghe first opened Yu Daniu's message.
In this short year, the Yu Clan had changed a lot. Under the Zhou Clan's arrangement, the cultivation families from the small cultivation towns within Qiyun Mountain had all sent a direct daughter to the Yu Clan.
Even the Zhou Clan of Yunmen Town was no exception.
The Zhou Clan treated these vassal cultivation families with impartiality, giving them great opportunities.
If their daughters gave birth to an heir with spiritual roots, that heir would surely become a high-ranking member of the Yu Clan in the future.
This would be a great help to these cultivation families as well.
Therefore, Yu Qirui currently had one wife and thirteen concubines. To maintain the relationship between the Yun and Yu Clans, Yu Qirui's wife was a direct daughter of the Yun Clan.
With so many wives and concubines, the Yu Clan's 'talent' was pushed to its limits. In the past year, Yu Qirui had had three more sons and two daughters.
Of course, compared to Yu Daniu, Yu Qirui's talent had somewhat degenerated; he wasn't as good as his grandfather.
If Yu Daniu had had so many wives and concubines, it wouldn't have been just five sons.
After reading Yu Daniu's message, Chen Jianghe sighed, "Is Si Niu also going to attempt Foundation Establishment?"
Yu Daniu's message had only one piece of news.
Yun Si Niu would attempt Foundation Establishment in the twelfth month of this year, just over a month from now.
Calculating Yun Si Niu's age, he was already fifty-four this year. Although he could have polished his foundation for another five years.
He had already reached the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and with the Yu Clan's heavy investment in his training, his spirit and body were also at their peak.
He also had a low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill.
His success rate for Foundation Establishment had reached seventy percent, so it was indeed time to make the attempt.
It was just a pity that Alchemist Zhuang was gone. Otherwise, they could have gathered the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill and refined a batch.
And planned to get an authentic Foundation Establishment Pill for Yun Si Niu.
However, a seventy percent success rate was not low.
It was worth a shot.
Chen Jianghe was out of Spirit Accumulating Pills and couldn't continue his seclusion. It was the perfect time to act as a guardian for Yun Si Niu.
Next, he opened Ruan Tieniu's letter.
"Impatient again~ Still can't keep his cool."
Chen Jianghe was speechless after reading Ruan Tieniu's letter. He sent at least one letter every year, urging him to go to Thousand Mountains Market City.
While urging him, he never forgot to describe the opportunities available in Thousand Mountains Market City.
And he mentioned that he had prepared a grand gift for Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe wrote a reply to Ruan Tieniu, telling him they would probably meet in Thousand Mountains Market City within five years.
In reality, if nothing unexpected happened, he would be heading to Thousand Mountains Market City next year.
The reason he said five years.
Was to remain vigilant.
The Flying Post was safe, but there was still a risk of information being leaked.
After finishing his reply to Ruan Tieniu, Chen Jianghe opened Zhou Miaoyun's letter.
The last time he saw Zhou Miaoyun was at his small Foundation Establishment celebration.
At that time, Zhou Miaoyun's eyes already held the aura of death, and it was very dense. She didn't have much time left.
The letter said she was coming to Qiyun Mountain in the twelfth month.
She hoped to have one last gathering with old friends.
Reading the letter, Chen Jianghe guessed that Zhou Miaoyun's time was near, likely within a year.
Therefore, he was more than willing to have a gathering with his old friend.
Each meeting would be one less.
It was very likely that after this meeting, they would never see each other again.
Most importantly, Chen Jianghe might be leaving Qiyun Mountain next year.
Five months ago, Maoqiu had already started refining its fourth second-grade water-attribute spirit core.
In at most another half a year, Maoqiu would attempt to break through to the second rank. If successful, that would be when he would leave Qiyun Mountain.
Next, he opened Gao Peiyao's letter.
Reading Gao Peiyao's letter, Chen Jianghe's expression changed slightly.
Gao Peiyao had sent someone to deliver cultivation techniques to him.
The first six layers of a spiritual cultivation technique and the first six layers of a body cultivation technique.
Moreover, Gao Peiyao mentioned in the letter that she wanted him to enter the secret realm trial with her.
Although Chen Jianghe already knew Gao Peiyao's intentions.
Hearing it from Luo Xiyue and hearing it directly from Gao Peiyao were two different things.
Gao Peiyao explained the details of the Tiannan Sect's secret realm trial to Chen Jianghe.
The secret realm contained second-grade demonic beasts and damaged third-grade puppets, but among the cultivators entering were over twenty disciples of the Tiannan Sect.
Including the external Foundation Establishment cultivators, there would be over seventy Foundation Establishment cultivators in total.
Therefore, there was no need to worry too much about the second-grade demonic beasts and the damaged third-grade puppets.
Furthermore, Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue would be at the front, and Chen Jianghe would only need to provide cover from the rear.
Gao Peiyao also stated clearly that both she and Luo Xiyue had special methods to guarantee the absolute safety of the three of them within the secret realm.
Most importantly, there were Core Formation opportunities within the secret realm.
As long as a Tiannan Sect disciple in the same group obtained a Core Formation opportunity, if they obtained a second one, it could be given to the external cultivator who had helped them.
"A Core Formation opportunity? Heh... they'd have to get three before I might get one."
"They both have life-saving measures, but what use is that? I need to have my own."
The thought of over seventy Foundation Establishment cultivators entering the secret realm gave Chen Jianghe a headache.
And there were second-grade demonic beasts and damaged third-grade puppets.
Especially those damaged third-grade puppets. No matter how damaged, they must be stronger than second-grade puppets!
"No, this secret realm is too dangerous. The chances of getting a Core Formation opportunity are slim, and I'd only get one if they find three."
"I should help Ruan Tieniu as much as possible to get this chance to enter the secret realm."
Chen Jianghe thought of Ruan Tieniu. If possible, he would help him at the appropriate time.
For example, with an Ice Heart Obstacle-Breaking Pill.
Of course, Ruan Tieniu would have to trade resources for it. He would only give Ruan Tieniu the opportunity to make the trade.
Not just anyone was qualified to trade for an Ice Heart Obstacle-Breaking Pill.
It was rare even at auctions.
However, he would accept all the techniques Gao Peiyao sent.
If Ruan Tieniu really couldn't go, then he would have to. Naturally, obtaining the techniques and improving himself was the most important thing.
Afterwards, Chen Jianghe turned all the letters to dust, wrapped his reply in mana, and placed it in the mailbox outside his courtyard.
Then, he went to the backyard.
The Dragon Pattern Red Pine seemed to sense Chen Jianghe's arrival and began to tremble, its leaves rustling.
Chen Jianghe glanced at Maoqiu. The aura it exuded had far surpassed that of a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator with a perfected body and spirit.
Maoqiu was now eighteen feet tall. Standing up, it looked like a small mountain, quite intimidating.
"It can break through in half a year at most. By then, I'll have another layer of protection."
He knew his own foundation.
No sect, no clan.
Compared to sect disciples and direct descendants of top immortal clans at the same level, he was still far behind.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
All he could do was develop steadily, accumulating his own resources step by step.
His lifespan was long. Sooner or later, he would be able to surpass those sect disciples and the direct descendants of top immortal clans.
Therefore, he had to act cautiously and not be hasty.
A single mistake could lead to eternal damnation.
Waiting for a break in Maoqiu's cultivation, Chen Jianghe recalled it into the spirit beast space, left the courtyard, and went to find Yu Daniu.
He had intended to ask Yun Xiaoniu to help him buy Spirit Accumulating Pills, but he discovered that Yun Xiaoniu had left Qiyun Mountain.
He had gone to the Yunmen Mountain mine.
Months ago, a spirit beast raised by the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Heling Shi Clan had successfully broken through to the second rank.
Now, although the Shi Clan only had one Foundation Establishment cultivator.
They had two second-grade puppets and a second-grade spirit beast. Adding the Shi Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor, this was equivalent to four Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Equivalent to the Yun Clan at its peak.
They surpassed the current Yun and Yu Clans, gaining the upper hand in the struggle for the Yunmen Mountain spirit mine.
The Shi Clan had somehow heard that Yun Si Niu was about to attempt Foundation Establishment, so they wanted to finalize the division of profits from the Yunmen Mountain spirit mine now.
At this time, the Shi Clan had the advantage and could secure a larger share of the profits.
Once Yun Si Niu successfully reached Foundation Establishment, the Shi Clan's advantage would disappear, and they would be at a disadvantage instead.
After all, second-grade puppets were just puppets, not Foundation Establishment cultivators.
So, Yun Xiaoniu had gone to Yunmen Mountain to negotiate the division of profits with the Shi Clan's ancestor.
Chen Jianghe wanted to help the Yu Clan secure the Yunmen Mountain spirit mine, but he was willing but unable. He was just a newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The other party had a demonic beast and puppets; it was not safe.
As for asking Luo Xiyue to intervene.
That was completely unnecessary.
But Chen Jianghe thought that once Maoqiu broke through to the second rank, he could have it accompany Yun Xiaoniu on a trip to Yunmen Mountain.
Time passed quickly.
Chen Jianghe successfully created another second-grade Falling Star Lightning Talisman. More than a month went by.
Zhou Miaoyun had already arrived at Qiyun Mountain and was arranged by the Zhou Clan to stay in the guest courtyard.
They would all gather on New Year's Eve.
There were three days until New Year's Eve.
Yun Si Niu came out of seclusion and, together with Yu Daniu, found Chen Jianghe to ask for his protection during the process.
Yun Xiaoniu was not in Qiyun Mountain.
Yun Bufan also had to travel from Mirror Moon Lake to Yunmen Mountain to support Yun Xiaoniu, because the Shi Clan's ancestor was being aggressive, wanting to take seventy percent of the Yunmen Mountain spirit mine.
"Don't overthink it, and don't feel burdened by the conflict over the Yunmen Mountain spirit mine. Just focus on breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
"I'll take care of everything!"
Chen Jianghe looked at Yun Si Niu with a solemn gaze and gave his reassurance.